Book Review: 'Goal Setting: Discover What You Want in Life and Achieve It Faster than You Think Possible'

(C) 2011 K. Akhter and CreateSpace Publishing Platform

I have discovered that as a writer, online reviewer and even runner of a household, it is vitally important to set goals - whether on a big scale that affects my writing career or the smaller day-to-day scale that guides what meal to prepare, what bills to pay and what leisure activity to pursue.

Now, there are people who have the good fortune to innately set goals for themselves and meet them without really having to "try" hard to do so, but most of us - myself included - need, at some point, a guide to help us map out a path to success in almost every possible endeavor we choose to undertake.

K. Akhter's book Goal Setting: Discover What You Want in Life and Achieve It Faster than You Think Possible is a very good guide to help the average reader to conceive actionable plans, figure out what steps to take and obstacles to overcome, discern the costs and benefits of goal setting, and how to organize a "map" or "game plan" in order to achieve one's goals, no matter in which area of life it involves or the scope of the endeavor.

As a writer, I was particularly interested in this book because even though I have long dreamed of writing a screenplay, my own thought processes, lack of clear vision and - let's be honest here - inability to properly focus on my end game have proved to be (self-imposed) deadweights that have hampered my progress. (My specific issues involve not knowing where to start a project of my own creation and meeting self-imposed deadlines.)

As Akhter points out in the book's fourth chapter: "Our expectations get us worked up more often than we'd like to admit. If we expect something to go well and it doesn't, we feel angry and disappointed. If we expect results by a certain date and our goal isn't achieved due to circumstances beyond our control, we can lose all hope and give up because it seems futile to continue."

Fortunately, Goal Setting: Discover What You Want in Life and Achieve It Faster than You Think Possible gives readers the information they need to identify their goal-setting weak points and how to overcome them, The book's tone is earnest and informational and really gives the impression that the author is talking to readers in an effort to help them define a game plan, assess what is needed (and what is not), anticipate hurdles and then carry the plan out.

These traits, which are the highlights of any good self-help book, make Goal Setting: Discover What You Want in Life and Achieve It Faster than You Think Possible a very useful and helpful resource for anyone seeking a guide on how to set goals and meeting them.